Scientists have urged people to eat less of these two types of foods, as cases of bowel cancer are rising rapidly among young people. People have been warned to cut back on two popular types of food after researchers found a link between their overconsumption and a deadly disease. New research has shown that eating too much red meat and sugar could raise your chances of developing bowel cancer.
Bowel cancer is one of the most common types of cancer in the UK, with over 44,000 cases diagnosed every year. It is also particularly deadly, causing the second-highest number of cancer deaths annually. Recent years have seen a concerning rise in the number of young people diagnosed with the disease. The number of adults aged 25 to 49 being diagnosed with bowel cancer, also known as colorectal cancer, increased by 22 percent between the early 1990s and 2018 in the UK.
It has previously been hypothesised that diet could be a contributing factor to this increase. The most recent findings support the idea that what we eat plays a significant role in bowel cancer risk. The research, presented at the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), found that individuals below the age of 50, diagnosed with bowel cancer, had decreased levels of citrate. Citrate, a carbohydrate breakdown product, is produced during the conversion of food into energy and was found to be lower in younger individuals diagnosed with colorectal cancer.
Speaking in Medical News Today, Doctor Suneel Kamath, senior author of the research and a gastrointestinal oncologist at Cleveland Clinic, highlighted the significance of the study’s findings. The research included 170 participants diagnosed with bowel cancer, with findings indicating that excessive consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages or red meat, as well as obesity, may be risk factors for developing bowel cancer at a younger age.
Dr. Kamath emphasised that focusing on reducing obesity rates, as well as cutting back on red meat and sugar consumption, could potentially aid in cancer prevention, especially for colorectal cancer. The NHS advises individuals to eat a healthy diet, exercise regularly, maintain a healthy weight, quit smoking, drink alcohol in moderation, and reduce consumption of red and processed meats to lower the risk of bowel cancer.